Purpose of school leaders (teachers, administrators

Should our leaders spend there time thinking about how to get students to obey policies or should we be thinking about what students need to be successful ?  It seems to me based on which question you answer you have two different schools.  I think that most of us are worried about the first question which leads to working on compliance instead of wondering what students need to be successful.

Thoughts?

Not so angry

One of the things that I realize now is that I am not getting angry over some crazy situations that are happening in our school.  While I still believe in fighting for what is right, I do not allow these poor decisions get into the way of my teaching.

I think that doing three good things each day, writing gratitude letters and trying to keep on the treadmill has helped me be a more relaxed and happier me.

Perfection

The other day I was notified that one of my students last year scored a perfect score on the AP Macro exam.  She was one of twelve students in the world to score a perfect score which is quite an accomplishment for this very talented young lady.

What it made me realize is how many different people help make that accomplishment happen in the school house.  While as her teacher of record people like to give me the credit, I realized that the teacher who most influenced her was her ninth grade bio teacher.  By the time she finally became a senior she had many amazing teachers at our school, who help develop and flourish her skills.

How great would our school system be if we could work as a team to provide students with the best education possible.  That we look inside ourselves to see what strategies work best for what students.

Testing your GRIT

In the past two weeks I have heard more great educators tell me that they are thinking of leaving the profession.  As people are getting tired of hearing about SLO's, core curriculum, new evaluations and an increase workload.

I have to be honest and say that I was at that spot at the start of the year.  It was my thought that I could have a better life or easier life teaching in the private school system, which does not jump at every new fad in education.

I have since decided all these changes are testing my GRIT.  If you think that there is a better place than where you are at than it is easy for you to quit.  So instead of that mindset, I have begun thinking that I can live in New York where they are firing great teachers based on a horrible evaluation system.  So working in Baltimore County is great compared to that system.

What would have happened to our country if George Washington decided in the middle of the war to stop leading our troops?  How about if people like Thomas Paine left for a different country instead of sparking the conversation.  Think of the GRIT our founding fathers displayed in forming this nation.

So we in education are in the midst of a revolution.  We need to demonstrate our GRIT and stay on the treadmill.  That does not mean we roll over and take every punch they throw.  We fight just as hard for what is right than ever before.  What it does mean is like General Washington, we make strategic retreats and well thought out attacks..  But under no circumstance do we surrender.

Let us all keep on the treadmill, and make education the best we can.